The Science of Bedding

How Your Mattress, Pillows, and Duvet Affect Sleep

Sleep is a daily ritual we rarely question — until a bad night reminds us how important it is.

Research from the National Institutes of Health shows that bedding materials influence sleep quality by affecting skin temperature and thermal comfort. We spend nearly one-quarter of our lives in bed, yet most of us put more thought into our sofa than our mattress.

I’ve always believed the bed deserves better. A good sleep setup should work with your body — supporting your spine, regulating warmth, and accommodating everything from deep sleep to midnight duvet negotiations.

This guide breaks down the science of bedding, from mattresses to pillows and duvets, focusing on what actually matters. Better sleep isn’t about one perfect product, it’s about a series of small, thoughtful choices that make mornings feel a little kinder.

1. The Mattress: the foundation of everything

If there’s one place to be practical (almost boringly so), it’s the mattress. Everything else, the sheets, the pillows, the aesthetics, only works if this part is right.

Broadly speaking, mattresses fall into three categories:

• Traditional spring mattresses

• Hybrid mattresses (foam + springs)

• All-foam mattresses with ergonomic support

I personally gravitate toward the third option. A good foam mattress, with the right firmness and height for your body, provides much better consistent support. Springs, in my experience, age poorly. They sag, they shift — and when they finally give up, they announce it loudly. Nothing pulls you out of sleep faster than a surprise creak at 3 a.m.

If you want to research without drowning in marketing jargon, The New York Times Wirecutter is a genuinely useful resource for my folks in the US. It focuses on what actually matters: firmness, durability, heat retention, and how a mattress holds up over time.

Europe-friendly brands worth knowing:

• Dorelan – a solid long-term investment, especially if back support matters to you (They will cost you pretty penny but I have seen many being used for years and years and still are firm and just perfection)

• Sklum – more design-forward and budget-friendly, without feeling flimsy. I have recently invested in the Benoite for my bed (I adore sklum because it is budget meets aesthetics and I will soon be doing a brand deepdive into them so stay tuned if that interests you)

Your mattress doesn’t need to be trendy. It needs to quietly do its job — every single night.

2. Pillows: more is more (but with intention)

Here’s my slightly controversial pillow philosophy:

Three pillows per person. Always.

• Two for actual sleeping — neck, shoulders, sleep position

• One “show” pillow for structure, layering, and visual calm

Pillows are the easiest way to fine-tune your sleep without replacing anything major. Some nights you need more lift, some nights less. Having options lets your bed adapt to you, instead of forcing your body to adapt to it.

Also: a well-layered pillow setup makes the bed look finished even when everything else is simple.

My EU-friendly recommendation: For pillows, choose based on how you sleep rather than trends. Memory foam options like Tempur work well for back and side sleepers who need consistent neck support, while softer down or microfibre pillows from brands like Dorelan are ideal for front or mixed sleepers who prefer a hotel-style feel. If you tend to sleep hot or want a simple, breathable option, Ikea’s pillows are surprisingly reliable, and if you’re still figuring out your preference, adjustable pillows from brands like Emma offer flexibility as your needs change.

For readers in the US or UK, comparable options include Coop Home Goods for adjustable pillows, Brooklinen for plush hotel-style fills, and Purple for structured, pressure-relieving support.

3. Duvets: one per person, no exceptions

This is again, a non-negotiable for me. I am a romantic person but one duvet per person means:

• You can cuddle when you want

• You can separate when one of you turns into a competitive duvet thief

• You can regulate warmth individually without resentment

Matching covers keep things visually calm, but you can absolutely play with texture or tone if you like. We’ll go much deeper into duvet weights, fillings, and covers in Part 2 — this is just the rulebook.

For duvets, focus on warmth level and fill rather than thread count or branding. In Europe, Dorelan offers excellent all-season and winter duvets with balanced insulation, and I particularly love my duvets from Croff (first one I ever bought after moving to Italy), Bonsoir, and Dalfilo for their quality and comfort. That said, even Ikea has surprisingly good, breathable all-season options that are easy to live with. If you prefer natural fills, lightweight wool or down duvets work especially well for temperature regulation. For US or UK readers, brands like Brooklinen, The White Company, and Parachute offer comparable all-season and temperature-balanced duvet options.

The underlying idea

Good bedding isn’t about perfection.
It’s about removing friction — physical and mental — so sleep comes easier.